Suspend accounts spreading 'malicious' content about J&K: Centre to Twitter
New Delhi: The Home Ministry has written to microblogging site Twitter to suspend eight accounts spreading “unverified” and “malicious” content about the situation Jammu and Kashmir, amid intelligence reports that they were being run on Pakistan's behest.
In a letter to Twitter, Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba said, “These accounts have been "spreading rumours and misinformation to disturb peace and calm in (Kashmir) valley.”
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the Jammu and Kashmir Police and other security agencies have been warning social media users not to believe in rumours about alleged large-scale violence in Jammu and Kashmir, which is under lockdown since the centre scrapped special status and divided it into two union territories on August 5.
"We do not comment on individual accounts for privacy and security reasons. Legal requests made to Twitter are published twice-yearly in our Twitter Transparency Report," a Twitter spokesperson said, according to news agency PTI.
On Monday, the CRPF dismissed as "malicious" a tweet by a Pakistani journalist about an alleged rift between the central force and the Jammu and Kashmir Police. The post on the alleged clash was made by Pakistani journalist Wajahat Saeed Khan from his verified Twitter handle.
The malicious content of this tweet is absolutely baseless and untrue. As always, all the security forces of India are working with coordination and bonhomie. Patriotism and our tricolour lie at the core of our hearts and existence, even when the color of our uniforms may differ. pic.twitter.com/1Rhrm09dPN
— 🇮🇳CRPF🇮🇳 (@crpfindia) 12 August 2019
The Jammu and Kashmir Police also said it has written to Twitter seeking technical details of the user. "The Twitter handle 'WSK' is spreading rumours through his tweets very frequently which are leading to law and order situation in Kashmir valley which in turn is a threat to lives of general public and that of security forces... The tweets could lead to clashes between various communities," the state police said in the letter.
Jammu and Kashmir on Monday celebrated Eid-al-Adha amid massive security restrictions, with the government sharing photos of prayers at smaller neighbourhood mosques in Srinagar as streets remained deserted and watched by security personnel.
Reports said prayers were not allowed at major mosques in Srinagar and large gatherings stayed banned across the Kashmir valley. The Jammu and Kashmir police tweeted that Eid prayers had been peaceful.
The government said people must not believe in rumours about alleged incidents of firing in Kashmir valley.
